Despite the wind, rain and cold, Fiji Drua rugby fans turned up to support their rugby heroes at the HFC Stadium in Suva last night. But they will have been disappointed by the result. From the start, the Auckland Blues made their intentions known, initiating the “pick n go” and “driving maul” every time they had the ball. The continuity of play by the Blues forward pack was the significant difference between the teams. They drove low, hard and worked together. especially around the fridges of the rucks. While the Fijian Drua had some golden opportunities to convert pressure into points but they were met by an impenetrable Blues defence line. The Drua dropped costly balls and wasted valuable possession because of the strong tackles. The Blues attack was relentless. Half back Taufa Funaki and fly half Beauden Barrett were a lethal combination. They dictated the pace of the game and detailed their shapes and formation in areas they would strike. Beauden Barrett had a superb night. His tactical kicking and vision reminded us of the legendary King Carlos Spencer; and his counter-attack was like Mills Muliana, slippery like an eel. Hoskins Sotutu continued to assert his authority in the second half. There was even an occasion where he overpowered replacement Fijian Drua prop Peni Ravai in the tackle and completely turned the ball over. In my opinion, Sotutu is the most in-form no.8 in the competition and well deserved to be the Player of the Match. Captain Patrick Tuipulotu led with much grit. He played a huge part in marshalling his team’s engine room. The Suva crowd did their best to get behind the home team but the Blues remained unfazed and kept the Drua scoreless for 77 minutes. The Drua finally scored with a consolation try to Salestino Ravutaumada. Final scoreline, Auckland Blues 34 – 5 Fijian Drua. It was the first time for the current Super Rugby defending champions to play in Suva and they will surely relish that win. They look forward to facing Moana Pasifika next weekend. On the other hand, this loss means the Fijian Drua will not be able to qualify for the top 6 finals round. They are in 11th place on the overall points table. Disappointed, Fijian Drua Head Coach, Glen Jackson said: “Obviously, the top 6 hopes are gone. I think it’s a bit more than that, in the way we lost today. There was a fair bit going on before the game, Mother’s Day and the boys trying to play for their mums; and to receive tragic loss in France. It’s a shame that we could not put on a performance that would make the crowd proud. Our boys, I’m sure will be disappointed in their performance”. Moving forward Jackson said: “I’m lucky enough to have this team for another year and I’m excited by that. It’s not what we wanted this season. We all know we lost our first 3 games which we could’ve won. We beat the Chiefs. Then we had disappointing performances in that middle period. We came back and beat the Reds and the Waratahs. This season, we all know, could’ve been different but just a couple of games that didn’t go our way”. The Drua’s next game will be against the Western Force in Churchill Park, Lautoka, Saturday 17th May at 3:35pm.